The Doctrine and Covenants

Section 3

Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Harmony, Pennsylvania, July 1828, relating to the loss of 116 pages of manuscript translated from the first part of the Book of Mormon, which was called the book of Lehi. The Prophet had reluctantly allowed these pages to pass from his custody to that of Martin Harris, who had served for a brief period as scribe in the translation of the Book of Mormon. The revelation was given through the Urim and Thummim. (See section 10.)

1–4, The Lord’s course is one eternal round; 5–15, Joseph Smith must repent or lose the gift to translate; 16–20, The Book of Mormon comes forth to save the seed of Lehi.

1 The aworks, and the designs, and the purposes of God cannot be bfrustrated, neither can they come to naught.

2 For God doth not awalk in crooked paths, neither doth he bturn to the right hand nor to the left, neither doth he vary from that which he hath said, therefore his paths are straight, and his ccourse is one eternal round.

3 Remember, remember that it is not the awork of God that is frustrated, but the work of men;

7 For, behold, you should not have afeared man more than God. Although men set at naught the counsels of God, and bdespise his words—

8 Yet you should have been faithful; and he would have extended his arm and asupported you against all the fiery bdarts of the cadversary; and he would have been with you in every time of dtrouble.

9 Behold, thou art Joseph, and thou wast chosen to do the work of the Lord, but because of transgression, if thou art not aware thou wilt afall.

10 But remember, God is merciful; therefore, repent of that which thou hast done which is contrary to the commandment which I gave you, and thou art still chosen, and art aagain called to the work;

11 Except thou ado this, thou shalt be delivered up and become as other men, and have no more gift.

12 And when thou deliveredst up that which God had given thee sight and power to atranslate, thou deliveredst up that which was bsacred into the hands of a wicked cman,

13 Who has set at naught the counsels of God, and has broken the most sacred promises which were made before God, and has depended upon his own judgment and aboasted in his own wisdom.

14 And this is the reason that thou hast lost thy privileges for a season—

15 For thou hast suffered the counsel of thy adirector to be trampled upon from the beginning.

16 Nevertheless, my awork shall go forth, for inasmuch as the knowledge of a Savior has come unto the world, through the btestimony of the Jews, even so shall the cknowledge of a dSavior come unto my people—

17 And to the aNephites, and the Jacobites, and the Josephites, and the Zoramites, through the testimony of their fathers—

18 And this atestimony shall come to the knowledge of the bLamanites, and the Lemuelites, and the Ishmaelites, who cdwindled in unbelief because of the diniquity of their fathers, whom the Lord has suffered to destroy their ebrethren the Nephites, because of their finiquities and their abominations.

20 And that the aLamanites might come to the knowledge of their fathers, and that they might know the bpromises of the Lord, and that they may cbelieve the gospel and drely upon the merits of Jesus Christ, and be eglorified through faith in his name, and that through their repentance they might be saved. Amen.